MacKay Bridge.

WE ARE IN HALIFAX, CANADA!!!

After a long day of travel, we have made it. With one hour of sleep under my belt and a mother who pulled an all-nighter, we drove into the Birmingham airport at 5:00AM Tuesday morning. Good thing our flight from B’ham to LaGuardia was not even half full because my checked luggage weighed as much as a human being. Seriously.

Looking through my mother’s old photos, I came across one in particular with little Louisa with her pile of suitcases ready to set sail. I laughed and thought there was no way I would take that much stuff! And while I did not take as many bags as her – two heavy rolling duffel bags does seem excessive. Thank goodness that once I get it into the cabin, I’m good to go for 109 days!


So, the LaGuardia airport was frustrating. We came in on a small plane, exited the plane down stairs onto the runway, boarded a bus to transport us to a building, walked around asking every person in a uniform where the Air Canada terminal could be found. We were directed to hop on another bus. Once we reached the main terminal, we had to pass through security again – which I must interrupt myself to ask a question. When we take our shoes off in security to walk through – what fungi on the ground are we stepping on? All I know is from here on out I’m always wearing socks to the airport.

Okay, well once down the terminal, which is not air conditioned but decorated nicely with huge commercial fans – mom notices all the people sneezing, and we both start to feel like we are surrounded by the swine flu. I talked and laughed with Caroline on the phone for a while, and then thank goodness boarded the plane and off to Canada!

Now we are in Nova Scotia. Which is beautiful by the way! We squeeze my extra human body (luggage) into the car and drive away ready to reach the hotel and SLEEP.

Now that I'm going to share a little secret with you. I have no sense of direction, so why my mother trusted me to get us to the hotel is beyond me. But, I sat up straight and buckled-up determined to get it right. Everything was going great. I was feeling so good about it that I talked to Paige on the phone for a bit and was looking off enjoying our lush surroundings. Well, I was supposed to get us to the MacKay Bridge. Here is what I was looking for:


Seems like it would be pretty manageable for a 20-year-old to find, right? WRONG.

We missed the exit without knowing. End up in a shopping mall, ask random guys how to get to the Westin. Attempt to follow directions, but because the little symbols on Canadian road signs are impossible to read unless you have 20/15 vision – we miss it AGAIN. End up in another shopping complex.

This time Mom takes things into her own hands. Goes up to a random man waiting outside a steak house. This time with a map – she is taking notes. Back on the road, we finally get it right. Hit a toll – don’t have Canadian money. Mom uses our default excuse – “WE ARE FROM ALABAMA.” He laughs and says to toss 3 American quarters in the bucket.

Now we are cruisin’ down Barrington street – almost there! We are excited. Somehow miss the turn onto Hollis Street. One thing that is fascinating about these Canadian people is I don’t that they make mistakes when driving. Why you ask? There is NO WHERE to turn around if you screw up! Trust me. Mom and I know. Well, even though we are exhausted we get here. I make the bell boys at the front get the extra human out of the car.

Regardless, WE HAVE MADE IT!

EXPLORING the recycling bin.

A few days ago, I was emptying my recycling bin into the huge pile of paper at the office and a lonely looking catalogue caught my eye. So, I snatched it up, stuffed it under my arm, and sauntered back to my cubicle. Flipping through the pages, I discovered immediately that the catalogue was chalk full of those little necklaces attached to cardboard squares that have cute sayings on them. I had seen them before at Perspicacity in Seaside, FL. 

What I remember most about these adorable little gifts.... they were darn expensive, especially being SO TINY! But, I will say this "Dogeared" company does a great job on creating a product that women will want to purchase! I found two necklaces that I would love to have because they make me think about this adventure I am about to embark on!!!!!!!!

I cannot even begin to imagine what all I am about to experience out there in this big world --- but what I do know is that.... I CAN'T WAIT!

15 days.

Feeling the Pressure!

This morning, across the US, we are waking up, some of us are going to work, others are sleeping-in, and another 521 of us are freaking out because in 16 days we will be getting on a ship to circumnavigate a planet that is home to 6,777,160,439 people (or for a more exact number click this link: http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html).

I started to pack last night. Seriously this time. Not just browsing Lonely Planet Forums or looking through old photo albums from my mother’s SAS voyage in 1978. Yes, last night I mustered up the courage to look that oversized bright green rolling duffel bag in the eye and say, “I’m not intimidated by you!”

Well, it didn’t actually happen that way. Instead, I decided to toss every piece of clothing that I am half-willing to wear in public on my double bed. This way I could not go to sleep until I picked up each individual pair of j.crew chino shorts or worn-out black leggings (or whatever it was!) off my mattress and decided whether it was going to be stuffed in that awkward duffel or be shoved back into my dresser drawer.

Mom – if you are reading this right now, I know that you are laughing. For the rest of you reading this, you should know that around midnight… I gave up. There now rests very large pile of confused clothing on the carpet at the foot of my bed.

In an attempt to remain an optimist, I shall make myself celebrate the small victories in life:

1.  I did make it through about ¾ of my Mount Everest of clothing!
   
2. Because my older sister is so full of wisdom from her own SAS voyage (summer ’07) – I have officially decided to make her bedroom my “packing room.” Her floor has become a collage of brightly colored t-shits, necessary footwear (yes, I caved – I now own Chacos), and several other (as SAS suggests…) “conservative, drip-dry, lightweight” clothing selections.
   
3.  After Mom and my Wal-Mart outing (that consisted of 2 trips because we ran into so many people we knew the first time, we had to go back several hours later to avoid familiar faces) – I am now the proud owner of the “compact leather case of any over-the-counter medication you could possibly need on a trip around the world.” I am very excited to be this prepared. If you are reading this, and will be on the MV Explorer with me – for any medical emergencies feel free to find me on board.
   
4. My supply of daily contacts arrived today. Thank goodness! I will now be able to actually SEE the world!

That is it for now. If you feel like listening to some really excellent music, might I make a suggestion? Yes. NEEDTOBREATHE is the name of the band; Washed by the Water is the song. Here is an acoustic version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYGhMGYPQYQ

Discoveries.

Mental Preparation.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my every thought when far away.
You chart the path ahead of me
and tell me where to stop and rest.
Every moment you know where I am.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You both precede and follow me.
You place you hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to know!

I can never escape from your spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the place of the dead,
you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become the night –
but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are both alike to you.

Psalm 139:1-12

Where in the World am I going?

Here it is! THE VOYAGE!

This adventure will begin less than a MONTH!

A new discovery this summer: My talent is finding ways to prepare for this trip that are not actually productive.

For example:

• Downloading ANY and EVERY travel podcast that has to do with a country we are going to visit.
• Searching for any music that I think will be good to use in my documentary film class.
• Making a pretty packing list in InDesign.
• Recording every Travel Channel show that has to do with a country we are visiting.
• Planning the best way to go about packing (In other words: I'm preparing by planning how to pack. Ridiculous. I just need to pack.)
• Purchasing fiction books on Amazon.com that take place in the countries.
• Always looking for magnets to use in my cabin.
• Collecting friends mailing addresses so I can send postcards.
• Cutting out any magazine images that have to do with other cultures so I can use the cut-outs in my journal on the trip.
• Putting together this blog.

Well, that is somewhat embarrassing!

Things I still need to do include:

• Researching what I actually want to do in each country.
• Ordering prescriptions and contacts for 4 months.
• Taking an inventory of what I have to wear on the voyage and determining what I need to buy.

That is all I can think of at the moment. It's enough to be overwhelming! My struggle is finding time to get things done! I'm working at Coastal Living all day and then I'm tired by the time I get home! I better figure it out soon, because the MV Explorer will set sail on August 28th whether I am ready or not!

Daydreaming

Thought that I would post some photos of the MV Explorer. These are just shots from Google Images, but I do seem to find myself looking at them often. I cannot believe that I will be on this ship THIS MONTH. In 25 days. 

There is so much to be done. I continue to make lists and lists of things I need to purchase, pack, collect, etc. I really want to be prepared for this journey as far as packing, but I also think that it is really important that I spend time mentally preparing. I want to go into this semester seeking an understanding of the world and the people in it. I need to sit down and write some goals like Uncle Dalton has me do before every year at college. When I come up with them, I suppose I'll have to post. 

That is all for now! I need to get back to work! Yikes!